This was Britney's first hit, and it propelled her to stardom. The slick sound earned plenty of radio play, but it was the image of the schoolgirl Spears, just 16 when the song was released on November 3, 1998, that made her a sensation. MTV played the video, but it was the internet that gave her the most traction, as teenage girls and guys of all ages logged into their AOL accounts and typed some variation of "Britney Spears" into Alta Vista to see more of the starlet. Over the next 10 years, Spears led the world in celebrity news, with one incident after another documented by eager paparazzi. But it all started with "...Baby One More Time," a very slick pop song about a girl who wants another chance with the guy she broke up with.
Max Martin wrote this song and produced it. Martin is a Swedish citizen with a knack for catchy pop songs. He created hits for The Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync in addition to Spears.
The song is written from the perspective of a young girl whose boyfriend has left her. She is lonely and desperate to win him back, so she implores him to give her another chance. When she pleads, "hit me baby one more time," she's asking him to call her back - to hit her up with a phone call. Many interpreted "hit" in a more literal sense, but John Seabrook's pop history book The Song Machine explains that Swedish songwriter Max Martin thought "hit" was American slang for "call," thus squelching the domestic violence angle.
See your Spotify stats (with number of plays and minutes listened) and discover new music.
Music data, artist images, album covers, and song previews are provided by Spotify. Spotify is a trademark of Spotify AB.